13. Chloe
13
CHLOE
D oes Sean have a Spider-Man craze at his age?
I wondered as I got into a cab after letting the driver know I was in a hurry.
It seemed unreasonable to want twenty figurines, but I had been familiar with a CEO who wanted miniature figures of an entire baseball team lined up on his table each morning.
It wasn’t too odd.
My first stop was a quaint comic-book store, tucked away in a corner of Times Square.
As I entered, the familiar scent of ink and paper enveloped me.
I approached the store clerk, describing what I wanted.
The clerk assisted me, leading me through rows of comic books, action figures, and collectibles.
Time ticked away quietly, and soon, I found a few rare editions and classic Spider-Man figurines, bringing my count up to ten.
I raced to the checkout counter, knowing that I was far from the twenty figurines I needed.
Leaving the comic-book store, I found a second yellow cab and got in, determined to finish soon and get back to Henry.
Next, I stopped by a bustling toy store in East Village.
As I weaved through the maze of tourists in the shop, I scoured the store’s shelves, finding Spider-Man in various poses and costumes.
I paid for three pieces I’d found, but I still had twenty minutes and seven figurines to go.
Whipping out my phone, I located more specialty toy stores around me.
I visited three other shops, negotiating with shop owners and even getting one of them to make a call to some of his friends’ shops to find out if they had any more toys in stock.
When I got my twentieth figurine, I emerged triumphantly from the last store, a bag brimming with Spider-Man figurines slung over my shoulder.
I hailed another cab, directing the driver to Sean’s office.
The city skyline sparkled as we drove through the streets, and I checked my phone in case I got any calls from Henry.
There were none, and I breathed easy, knowing that he was sleeping through the night.
As I sat in my fourth cab for the night, I stared at the bags next to me on my seat, brimming with expensive Spider-Man treasures.
Since I’d joined Sean’s company so recently, they hadn’t issued me a company card yet.
I was using my personal card, and every time I’d swiped it for another expensive Spider-Man toy, my heart had almost stopped.
I would be lying if I said I’d never once wished I could trade places with someone more carefree for a day.
Some days, the desire to escape the weight of caring for Henry was so strong that I would Google Dad’s name in desperation, wondering if he was nearby, and when I found nothing, I’d empty a bottle of wine.
In the morning, self-hatred would creep in, and I’d make up for my previous day’s thoughts by doing something extra special for Henry.
When I got to the Tassater building on the Upper East Side, I thanked my cab driver and got out and raced up the steps and inside the building.
I waved to Charles, the security guard by the desk, and he waved back.
“You’re a hard worker, Ms. Nichols,” Charles said as I ran across the lobby to the elevators.
“Let me know if you need me to find you a cab for your ride back.”
“Thanks, Charles,” I said, warming up to him as I got into the first elevator that opened.
“You can call me Chloe. And I’ll take the subway back tonight, but I’ll let you know if that ever changes.”
“Take care, Chloe,” he said with a smile before the elevator doors shut.
The building was eerily quiet, a complete opposite to the bustle that pervaded this place in the daytime.
My head was a frenzy of thoughts as the elevator rode up, and I hoped I could drop the bag off at Sean’s office and leave right away.
Hopefully without running into the man who had sent me on this fool’s errand.
It wasn’t the empty corridor I met when the doors opened on the thirty-fifth floor, but Mr. Tassater himself.